Anyone planning to exclusively pump?

Hcb311 · January 2014

I know that I would like to only give my baby breastmilk. However I also know that we will be around family and friends a lot right after baby is born and I'm not comfortable nursing in front of people. I also don't think I could ever nurse in public. So I'm considering exclusively pumping and I'd like to hear from some ladies who have either already exclusively pumped or are planning to exclusively pump!

Savvy122 · January 2014

I agree with PP - EPing is something that I definitely wouldn't do by choice. In our case, we did it because DS had pretty severe reflux and his pediatrician recommended giving him pumped milk in a bottle thickened with cereal. I EPed for about five months and I hated every. single. second. I hated the amount of time I had to spend hooked up to that thing, I hated cleaning all the parts multiple times a day. It became such a hassle that I eventually switched to formula around 6 months, even though my plan was to exclusively breastfeed for the first year. I am hoping to avoid the pump as much as possible with this LO.

If you're worried about nursing in front of people, there are ways to do it modestly. You can use a nursing cover, excuse yourself and nurse in a separate room, or even pump before outings and feed using a bottle during those times.

SecondTimeinMSU · January 2014

EP is challenging and I have to be amazed when I hear how long some women on here did it for. I EPed for about 6 weeks or so not by choice but because DS just didn't want to eat period much less latch on. It was pretty much constant coaxing him to eat every ml of milk. It was a ton of work to warm a bottle, feed him then have to pump on top of that. I was pretty much cashed by the process, especially during the night, and heading for a serious breakdown. When I finally got him to latch on and just pump while I was at work it was amazing and I don't really know how much longer I could've kept up the EPing. If for some reason (such as a preemie) I can't latch the next one on then I would definitely consider EPing but not just for feeling uncomfortable. If you don't feel comfortable with a cover you can always excuse yourself. If you are out and about go to your car and use a nursing cover. If you are at a friends house you can ask if they have a quiet place you can go. I was really shy about it my first time around and I found ways to make it work. Though this time I think I am going to embrace much more just using the cover and doing it where I am, I think the bump has empowered me.

lellymine · January 2014

You'll still need to excuse yourself to pump though. My friend pumps and she has to do it every 3-4 hours (the same amount of time her DS needs to eat) to keep her supply up. I know she'd rather be able to just breastfeed because it's so much extra work to EP.

snowpants · January 2014

I'm not planning too, but I won't be shocked if that's where I end up. Breastfeeding didn't work out with DD and I ended up being an exclusive pumper (EPer) for 11 months.

Honestly, it sucked. It seems to be twice the work as breastfeeding but I'm still thankful I did it because I too wanted to give my baby breastmilk. Every time DD needed to eat I obviously had to feed her. But instead of being able to snap my bra back together and get back to sleep or get on with my day like a BFer would do, I had to then hook myself up to a pump and sit there for another 20-30 minutes, then wash the bottles and store the milk, etc. That really sucks when you're dying for sleep and missing an extra half hour makes you want to curl up and cry. For me, I still got sore nipples (cracked and bleeding sometimes) and some of those other joys than can happen when BFing but didn't get to enjoy the benefits of being able to just whip out a boob whenever I needed to. Pumping involved a lot more set up, clean up, etc.

As far as nursing in front of people, that's your own comfort level and I will never judge you for how you feel, but to me pumping in public would be a hell of a lot more embarrassing than nursing in public. I'd rather have a baby at my boob than be hooked up to a machine like a cow (cause it feels that way and those pumps aren't silent) in public. I never pumped in public because I was never comfortable doing so. If you're going to retreat to a private place then, to me, it would be easier to go somewhere private to breastfeed. Does that make sense? Plus if you pump you need to be near an outlet (or buy batteries) and you need to carry around all the bottles, valves, cooler and ice pack for storage, the actual pump, etc, instead of "just" a nursing cover.

Because I didn't choose to EP I had some emotional baggage associated with it. I felt like a huge failure and having to hook myself up to that stupid pump every 3 hours for months was a constant reminder. Maybe those who choose to pump wouldn't feel the same way, lol, and that would make a difference.

No matter what you choose, best of luck! I hope it works well for you.

snowpants · January 2014

I will say for anyone that chooses to EP, or finds themselves EPing not by choice (and you have all my sorries if that's the case) here are a couple unsolicited bits of advice:

1. This might go without saying, but make sure you have a double electric pump.

2. Buy a hands free pumping bra. I repeat, buy a hands free pumping bra! It's the only thing that saved my sanity at times. At least with my hands free I could actually, you know, hold my baby or read a book, play on my iPad, etc instead of sitting there holding bottles up to my boobs. I ended up with 2 hands free bras so I could have one in the wash as needed.

3. Make sure you have more than one set of the bottles, valves, and breast sheilds. I ended up with 4 sets and they were worth every penny. I'd throw the used ones in a tub of soapy water to soak so I could do several pump sessions before having to wash everything. At the end of the day I could just wash one big load. (Especially in the middle of the night it was a lifesaver to not have to stay up to wash/dry everything to be ready for the next middle of the night pumping.)

Being an EPer is one of my biggest fears about this pregnancy. I seriously don't know if I could do another 11 months of it again because it's a huge, huge commitment. I hope I can if needed, but I am hoping so much that this LO will BF.

SecondTimeinMSU · January 2014

mrsgerman said:

I am currently trying to do a lot of research to help get a plan in motion. I have a lot of different factors right now to get sorted out.
One being the decision to return to work. I work for a smaller company that consists of all men except one other female who is in a different office and that I never see. So I know I won't feel comfortable pumping at work. I have my own personal office, but the door to my office is a french door with glass and no type of covering. I do work alone in a satellite location one day a week so I would be able to then but I am unsure about what to do the other days. I am hoping to pump and store as much as I can while on maternity leave and possibly feed and pump right before work, right when I get home and later in the evening. I know you need to pump often to keep your supply up but I am just hoping to face that challenge when I get to it.

Has anyone else ever face something like this before? Did you have any sort of success or fail miserably?

Is there any kind of storage room or something at work that could be converted? My old office had these windows to it from the inside of the office so I pumped in this little room where we stored our brochures at work that basically people rarely needed to go in. Unfortunately there was no lock so I sat in front of the door but I could've inquired about changing it out (my work was pretty much women at the time so I wasn't stressed). Thankfully I had the foresight a year ago or so to swap offices when they wanted to move people around and agreed to take a slightly smaller office but one with total privacy but it was workable to get creative and search for an extra space. I've heard of people pumping in their cars with a cover but that is less ideal.

Gigi8212 · January 2014

I absolutely hated pumping. I can see where you're coming from because modesty does kick in at first, but for me it all went out the window after a
month or two. After that I could care less where I nursed and who saw it.

I think it is sad that society has made it to where women don't feel comfortable nursing in public or in front of others. Sorry to go off on a tangent, but it something I have become passionate about.

I think you may change your mind once you are actually BFing because, as PPs pointed out, pumping is a hassle. You will have to step away from family friends just as often to pump as you would to nurse so it's a moot point. I have never met a mother that chose to EP out of convenience simply because it is not convenient.

butterflymom2010 · January 2014

I am seriously considering it just because my DD never took a bottle. It was extremely frustrating for me, my hub, and the babysitter. There is a chance that I won't be able to BF for long because of having to go back on meds for my Lyme, so we may have to switch to formula, and I don't want to chance nipple confusion.

Mztwilson · January 2014

It pumped with ds and we didn't make it very far. My life revolved around a bottle and a pump. As soon as I pumped I'd feed him then have a half hour before the process started over again. Your better off just nursing. Excuse yourself to a different room. With dd I was very uncomfortable nursing in front of people even dh and I'm sure that was because I had no clue what I was doing. Once me and baby got the hang of it it wasn't as bad but I still never fed I front of people I always went somewhere private.

snowpants · January 2014

@mrsgerman, I think @SecondTimein MSU had great thoughts and I'll throw in another idea. If it's just the door to your office that's glass can you buy a cheap curtain to cover it from the inside (even tape it to the door if you had to, lol)? Or just tape a bunch of gift paper or something over it for the months you need to pump? I know a working mom who had to do just that. She covered her window door with plain gift wrap and had a big sign she hung up that said "PRIVATE. Do not disturb." whenever she pumped. She worked in an all-male office and they all stayed far, far away when the sign was up. GL!

SecondTimeinMSU · January 2014

snowpants has my creative juices flowing now. What about removable window film. They sell cute decorative patterns that your office managers would approve of but they make the window so you can't see thru it. I bought this for my front door at our old house so I could hide easier from the million door to door salesmen (since you can't exactly run away if they see you sitting there)

ElTrain5 · January 2014

@mrsgerman, we have a few pumpers on my floor right now, and they all use copy paper or buy those cheap paper accordion blinds from home depot/walmart and use that to cover the glass portion of the door.

rainstar752 · January 2014

You might be surprised how little you care about people seeing you nurse after the baby is born. I mean, even now having done it, I feel a bit embarrassed by the thought of nursing in front of, say, my father-in-law. But at the time, with a hungry newborn and filled with post-pregnancy hormones? I could have cared less. I used a nursing cover most of the time and it was fine, though I nursed au natural in front of my mom and sister, something I never thought I would do. So, you might want to wait and see. The pump is a huge pain and it's hard to maintain your supply that way.

Mrs_D_in_KY · January 2014

Coming from someone who EPed for 13 months, I would have given my left leg to be able to BF directly. I dealt with a preemie baby, severely inverted nipples and this lots of latch issues.

With this LO if I can BF I will and I will give people the finger for judging me for doing so. It's sick that we as mothers have to feel some sort of shame for BFing our babies, but there are half naked women advertised everywhere.

If you do decide to pump (which I would again try to BF if possible). There are some tips: have a hands free bra, yes those fancy Simple Wishes bras are nice, but I found cutting slits into old sports bras was cheaper and easier. Multiple pump parts are nice to have on hand, just for the convenience. I would unhook my pump parts from the tubing and put them in a large ziplock Baggie and pop it in the fridge, saved me time not having to wash them after every session. Medela makes nice steam bags to help in a pinch. Carry a nursing cover with you, pump in the living room so you're not secluded from everyone or pump while driving.

Pumping is double work, you would still have to excuse yourself or pump in front of people. It sucks (pun intended) but it can be done.

Gigi8212 · January 2014

@mrsgerman

I always did MotN feedings. DD bed shares with us, so it never was an issue. I just stuck a boob in her mouth, fed her for a few minutes and we were back to sleep. Getting up or having MH get up and make a bottle so he could feed her seemed like much more trouble.

I work about thirty hours a week and dd stays with either my husband or my mom during that time. She was fed breast milk by bottle during that time and nipple confusion was never an issue. I think I started giving her a bottle around three or four weeks just to get her used to something other than my nipple and she caught on right away.

For what it's worth, she also took a pacifier right away too, which a lot of the time isn't recommended for BF babies because of nipple confusion.

ncbelle · January 2014

I would suggest starting off with baby at the breast - much easier to build a supply that way and just much easier all around. You may feel very differently about nursing once baby is here!

xnbride · January 2014

I exclusively pumped DS1 for a year, pumped a few months for DS2, and exclusively nursed DS3. Nursing is HANDS DOWN so much easier then EPing. With that said, EPing was a good alternative for me at the time. If I had to choose; however, I would not choose to EP over nurse. All of those issues that you discussed aren't a significant enough reason to EP and I think you will find that modesty comes secondary. You can still find ways to be modest while nursing. It is not an either/or thing. Also you can nurse baby in your car. There are nursing stations at lots of places and you can pump a bottle before an outing too (although you probably won't want to). Also as baby gets older they eat less frequently and they become very efficient eaters so you nurse for a very brief time and they don't nurse again for hours later.

xnbride · January 2014

mrsgerman said:

OK So another question. I'm pretty much clueless about this so sorry if it seems dumb.

As another poster mentioned about nipple confusion. Those who BF what do you do about middle of the night feedings that your husband would be doing? I was always under the assumption that you would use stored milk and feed from a bottle. But with nipple confusion, is there a chance that the baby might not want to drink stored milk from a bottle and would rather me get up and feed straight from the breast?
Does feeding sometimes from a bottle and sometimes from the breast cause a lot of issues?

It depends on the baby. Some will go from bottle to boob with ease. Others will refuse the bottle and wait for access to the boobs. Even when I did EP my DS1, he would not drink the refrigerated milk (even when warmed) he would snack and then wait until I pumped him a fresh bottle. He basically reversed cycled and was up a ton during the night and slept during the day when I was at work.

Hcb311 · January 2014

Thanks ladies you have all given me a lot to think about! I already have a medela pump in style advanced I plan on using. I know I will be hooked to a pump at some point because I am returning to work when baby is 16 weeks old. When is a good time to introduce a bottle to get baby used to it without causing nipple confusion?

MississippiCatfish · January 2014

If modesty is what you're going for, I'm just going to put this out there. For me, it was a lot less embarrassing (or whatever the word is - uncomfortable? It shouldn't ever be embarrassing) to excuse myself to nurse than to pump. I was very VERY self-conscious about people outside the room hearing the pump noises. It just sounds like farm machinery or something - not at all feminine. Just something to consider.

I wouldn't ever choose EP but would give it my best shot before formula (partially for health benefits and partially for cost savings, honestly!) I HIGHLY respect women who are committed to EP!

MississippiCatfish · January 2014

Hcb311 said:
Thanks ladies you have all given me a lot to think about! I already have a medela pump in style advanced I plan on using. I know I will be hooked to a pump at some point because I am returning to work when baby is 16 weeks old. When is a good time to introduce a bottle to get baby used to it without causing nipple confusion?

Check out kellymom! I think she recommends 6ish weeks? I could be wrong. I do think they're now saying that nipple confusion really isn't as common as they thought for a while, and not something to be terribly afraid of.

SchoolPsychSteph · January 2014

I would like to EP this time around, but I remember when I did it for only two months with DD and it truly was a hassle. My life involved pumping, feeding, and cleaning. It was like clockwork that went on forever. I'm going to be honest, BF creeps me out (I know, people, that's why they are there), but I may give it a shot.

ETA: I have to pick one or both because I sure as hell can't afford formula!

ncbelle · January 2014

mrsgerman said:

OK So another question. I'm pretty much clueless about this so sorry if it seems dumb.

As another poster mentioned about nipple confusion. Those who BF what do you do about middle of the night feedings that your husband would be doing? I was always under the assumption that you would use stored milk and feed from a bottle. But with nipple confusion, is there a chance that the baby might not want to drink stored milk from a bottle and would rather me get up and feed straight from the breast?
Does feeding sometimes from a bottle and sometimes from the breast cause a lot of issues?

If baby is getting a bottle, you really need to be pumping at that time or you run the risk of supply issues. Most babies don't have a problem going back between bottle and breast assuming breastfeeding is well established before a bottle is introduced and that paced bottle feeding and slow flow nipples are used when giving a bottle.

tbmadeamistake · January 2014

I tried to read this thread and literally started to get angsty and unhappy just thinking about ep-ing. I turned into a really unhappy lady and after four months of it stopped because I decided C needed a happy mommy more than she needed my milk. That was my experience. Given that I'll be at home with Charlie, I'm hoping we can make nursing work better. If not, I don't think I'm pumping. I feel bad but I need to be sane to mother my children.

It works for a lot of people, and I think those women are totally amazing! There is a certain amount of fortitude needed to keep it up.

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Anyone planning to exclusively pump?

Re: Anyone planning to exclusively pump?

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